It was while she was studying at the University of Victoria that Christina Winter attended a public policy lecture by Elizabeth May. Little did she know, this event would change the course of her life and prompt her to jump into politics years later.
“She was the first Canadian politician that was talking about doing politics in a way that made sense to me,” said Winter. “She really focused on serving people, working across party lines, and focusing more on the ideas and the needs of our constituents."
“When I voted for her and she won [in 2011], that was the first time that I really felt like I got what I voted for. That inspired me to get involved myself.”
This election marks Winter’s first political run as she represents the Green Party for Victoria-Swan Lake, following years of volunteering and working on municipal, provincial, and federal campaigns.
Adopting an on-the-ground approach to politics, Winter developed a strong understanding of her riding’s needs by knocking on doors since 2015.
Among the priorities, affordable housing came at the top of the list.
“There are just so many challenges with housing affordability for everyone,” said Winter. “We need to have a government focusing on what the government can do, which is supplying affordable housing and putting public land towards things that are below market social housing or co-op housing.”
As a mother of one, she also advocates for healthcare reform and increased accessibility, which are concerns frequently voiced by residents.
“I hear from people who have moved from places like Nigeria who say that the only thing they wish they had better in Victoria is access to health care,” said Winter. “This is not an effective system and the people working within it are struggling."
“We need to focus that doctors, nurses and health care professionals across the board have better working conditions that are sustainable, so they can stay in the system.”
With experience in bookkeeping, retail supervision, customer service, and owning a small business with her husband, Winter believes she's well-suited to lead and drive change.
Confident and ready to capitalize on her years of community involvement, the Victoria resident is ready to present her candidacy for the first time in this election.
“The government has a lot more to do to protect workers overall to make sure that we don't have gaps where there are people who are extremely exploited,” said Winter. “What I'm hearing from people is that they want to see the delivery. They want to see the outcomes and the results match where we say the destination is.”
